London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Just 3% of Shaftesbury’s £1.8 billion portfolio — which also spans Covent Garden and Chinatown — is available for rent as restaurants and niche retailers seek to gain a foothold in an area that is seemingly impervious to the downturn and attracts 200 million visitors a year. The firm is investing funds in some of its Carnaby Street properties, temporarily disrupting income growth, but the arrival of Crossrail will be a further boon.

Bickell said: “It is no coincidence that since mid-September the West End has become even busier, and we are seeing unusually high levels of interest from retailers, restaurateurs and other businesses seeking to come to our areas. There are people on the streets and the restaurants are packed. You hear plenty of foreign voices but it is almost as if Londoners has rediscovered the West End as well.”

Shaftesbury, which spent £44 million on new buildings, today said it lifted pre-tax profits 7% to £31.2 million in the year to September 30. The estimated rental value of its 500-property estate — the rental income they would generate if let today on the open market — is also up 6%.

Liberum Capital analyst Alison Watson said: “Despite the global uncertainties, consumer demand has bucked the negative trends seen elsewhere due to the high numbers of overseas and domestic tourists in the West End.”